Lead straightener for axial lead components

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for straightening bent leads extending axially from an electrical component, such as a magnetic reed switch. Components are supplied individually to a rotating wheel having portions on its periphery for rotatably supporting the components with the leads extending outwardly from each side between a pair of guides which become increasingly narrower as the leads are rotatably moved therethrough. Means supporting the leads at or near the point of their connection to the component, together with the rotating movement through the progressively narrower guides straightens the leads without damage to the components.

in] 3,744,535 [451 July 10,1973

United States Patent 1 DIIBOiS [54] LEAD STRAIGHTENER FOR AXIAL LEAD 2,928,452 3/1960 Diggle et 140/147 COMPONENTS [75] Inventor: Edward F. DuBois, Binghamton, jgz sg ifiggi t ggzlfi Larson N.Y.

Assignee: The Singer Company, Binghamton,

[57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for straightening bent leads extending axially from an electrical component, such as a magnetic [22] Filed: Sept. 20, 1971 reed switch. Components are supplied individually to a rotating wheel having portions on its periphery for ro- 21 Appl. No.;'1s2,020

tatably supporting the components with the leads ex- [52] US. 140/147, 72/94, 72/DIG. 10 tending outwardly fro each side between a pair of [51] Int. B2lf 1/02 guides which b e creasingly narrower as the leads are rotatably moved therethrough. Means supporting the leads at or near the point of their connec- [58] Field of Search 72/94, DIG. 10

tion to the component, together with the rotating movement through the progressively narrower guides straightens the leads without damage to the components.

2,860,686 11/1958 Frank et al. 140/147 2,622,654 12/1952 72/93 12 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures Ill PAIENIED JUL 1 0 mm SHEEI 1 0F 4 6M3 619; BY

ATTORNEY PATENHELJuumm 3.744.535 SHEEI 201 4 INVENTOR,

BY W Wm ATTORNEY Pmmmwmm 3.744.535

SHEEY 3 BF 4 I I N VEN TOR.

Q AMW ATTORNIEY PAIEmwJ L- "3.744.535 m mm INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY LEAD STRAIGHTENER FOR AXIAL LEAD COMPONENTS This invention relates to apparatus for automatically straightening bent electrical leads extending axially from each end of a component such as a magnetic reed switch, for example.

The use of glass-encapsulated switches as components in electrical sub-assemblies such as magnetically actuated relays has become increasingly common. With improvements in manufacturing methods and materials such switches can be produced in large numbers at quite precise tolerances while still having a relatively low unit cost and long operating life. The switch contacts are usually gold plate and sealed with a protective, air-tight enclosure. Final positioning of the contacts at a desired gap is accomplished by manipulation of leads extending in opposite directions from the contacts through the walls of the enclosure while the material thereof (glass or plastic) is heated to a deformable condition. The more common, high-volume applications of such switches require that the leads extend straight from opposite ends'of the enclosure to within a few thousands of an inch. If the leads are outside the tolerances for straightness the switch is generally scrapped since any attempts to bend the lead tends to break the glass enclosure at the point where the lead extends therethrough, thus rendering the switch useless.

It is a principal object of the present invention to'provide apparatus for automatically bending leads of electrical components as required to extend substantially axially from opposite ends of acomponent body.

Another object is to provide apparatus for straightening bent leads of a magneticreed switch without damaging the glass enclosure for the switch contacts.

. A further object is to provide apparatus for automatically supplying rejected axial lead electrical components individually and sequentially, and straightening the leads of such components without damage thereto, thereby salvaging such components for use in the intended manner.

Other objects of the invention will in partbe obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the invention;

- FIG. 2 is an elevational view of an electrical component of the type operated on by the apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of certain portions of the apparatus;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the portions shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective viewof an element of the apparatus;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are sectional views of .the element of FIG. 5 taken on the lines 5A 5A and 5B 58 thereof, respectively;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, side view, partly in section, showing a component in position during processing; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, front view of the fragment shown in FIG. 6, in section on the line 7 7 thereof.

The defective components to be acted on by the apparatus of the invention are supplied thereto by a vibrating, gravity feed mechanism. The components are initially placed in open hopperl0, supported by base 12 which contains mechanism for vibrating the hopper to move the components therein toward an outlet opening communicating with sloped tube 14. The components slide downwardly through tube 14 into bin 16, containing appropriate guides and baffles 18 for directing the components individually into zig-zag slots, one of which is shown at 20, in'a pair of spaced wall members. The slots are of sufficient width to allow the component leads to extend freely therethrough and are spaced apart by a distance somewhat greater than the length of the component body. Thus, the components will be stacked between the wall members and individually dispensed from the lower end of the slots in a manner described later. The vibrator and zig-zag slot arrangement are conventional means for feeding individual components to a desired position and dispensing them singly in. sequence. In the present apparatus, photocell detector unit 22 is installed at the upper end of slots 20 and connected in the circuit of the vibrator motor to turn off the latter when the slots are full, thereby preventing overflow of bin 16.

A typical'component of the type acted on by the apparatus of the invention is shown in FIG. 2. The component, indicated generally by reference numeral 24, includes body portion 26 which serves as a sealed enclosure for electrical switch contacts 28 and 30. The latter may be normally spaced by a desired distance, as shown, and closed by application of a magnetic field from an external source, or normally closed and separated by the magnetic field. Extending from the con tacts axially along body portion 26 and through the sealed ends thereof are leads 32 and 34. As illustrated in FIG. 2, lead 32 is bent outside of body portion 26 away from its desired position, either'coincident or parallel with the long axisof the body portion. Attempts to bend lead 32 to desired position, shown in dotted lines, commonly result in damage to the seal where the lead extends through the glass body portion. For this reason, components of this type having leads bent beyond the established tolerance range have generally been considered unsalvageable. The apparatus of the present invention, however, operates to straighten the bent lead without damage to the component, as explained in the following paragraphs.

As the components are dispensed from slots 20 they are picked up by cut-out portions in the periphery of wheel 36, rotatably mounted on an axle joumaled at one end in support 38 and in a similar support on the opposite side of the wheel. Motor 40 provides rotation to wheel 36 through appropriate gearing (not shown).

44. The next component, having its leads still engaged at the lower ends of slots 20, will ride on the periphery of wheel 36 until the next cut-out portion reaches the uppermost position, at which time it will be picked up and transported with the wheel, and so on. In FIG. 3 is also shown, in section, axle 46 which carries wheel 36, and L-shaped arm 48, freely rotatable on the axle.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the major elements of the apparatus which act on components 24 to effect the lead straightening operation are shown in exploded perspective. A second L-shaped arm 50 is mounted on axle 46 on the opposite side of wheel 36 from arm 48 and it identical thereto. Shoe 52, having lining 54, is pivotally mounted at its upper end upon arms 48 and 50 at 56 and 58. Shoe 52 is biased about its pivotal mounting toward the periphery of wheel 36 by springs 60, attached at opposite ends to pins 62 on arms 48 and 50, and pins 64 on bracket 66 which is affixed to shoe 52.

Arcuate guide members 68 and 70 are pivotally mounted on pins on the inside of arms 48 and 50, respectively, near the pivotal mounting thereon of shoe 52. Each of the guide members is formed'from three elements, as seen in the exploded view of member 70, a pair of tapered tracks 72 secured together by flat plate 74 with rivets or screws. The lower ends of guide members 68 and 70 rest against compression springs 78, secured to lugs 80 on the inside of the lower portions of arms 48 and 50. Thus, the guide members are held in a reference position with respect to the L- shaped arms but may be rotated about their pivotal mountings.

A better showing of the structural details of the guide members is provided in FIGS. 5, A and 5B. The lefthand member 68 is shown in FIG. 5 and includes the same two tapered tracks 72 and connecting plate 74 as member 70. The sides of tracks 72 which face wheel 36 are spaced apart to form an arcuate slot 82 of constant width along the entire length of the guide member. This width is slightly greater than the diameter of the component leads. At the upper end the opposing faces of each of tracks 72 are cut away, behind the sides which face wheel 36, so that slot 82 is defined by lips 84, as shown in FIG. 5A. The amount of material cut away is gradually diminished along the length of the tracks, as indicated by the hidden lines 86 in FIG. 5, until the cut away portion disappears and the opposing faces of tracks 72 are spaced apart uniformly by the width of slot 82 at the lower end, as shown in FIG. 58.

Operation of the apparatus to straighten the compo nent leads is shown more fully in FIGS. 6 and 7. Lining 54 is spaced from the outer periphery of wheel 36 by such distance that body portion 26 of a component supported on rollers 44 will be firmly engaged between the lining and rollers. A pair of flared guide plates 86 (FIGS. 3 and 4) are affixed to shoe 52 with the ends of v the platesextending beyond and flared outwardly from the upper end of the shoe and the lower edge extending slightly past the edge of the shoe. Thus, components supported on wheel 36 and approaching shoe 52 will be laterally centered on the wheel before being engaged by the shoe by the action of plates 86. The position of a component 24 in one of cut-out portions 42 of wheel 36 just prior to engagement between stationary lining 54 and rollers 44 is shown in side elevation in FIG. 6. After the component is so engaged, as wheel 36 rotates in a clockwise direction, the frictional engagement of the component and the lining will cause rotation of the component and rollers in the directions indicated by the respective arrows thereon.

With the component laterally centered on wheel 36 and engaged by lining 54, leads 32 and 34 will extend into slots 82 in guide members 68 and 70, as shown in FIG. 7. The cut away portion behind lips 84 at the upper ends of the guide members provides space for accommodating bent leads. As the leads are moved along the guide members, with the component rotating as previously described, the end of any bent lead will eventually contact the opposing, tapered surfaces of tracks 72. Continued movement will gradually bend the lead back to an axially straight position with respect to the component body. When the leads have reached the ends of the tracks they will be straight within the desired degree of tolerance since the opposing faces of tracks 72 are spaced at the lower ends by not more than the lead diameter plus the amount of the tolerance. An appropriate chute 90 (FIG. 1) catches the components as they drop off the wheel and directs them into a receptacle or other desired location.

An important consideration in operations involving components which may be damaged at the point where the lead enters the component body is the fact that lips 84 provide a support or leverage point for bending the leads to a straight condition. That is, rather than transferring the force applied at the end of the lead back to the component body, it is transferred instead to intermediate structure provided by the apparatus of the in vention. An additional feature which enhances efficient and versatile operation is the mounting of guide members 68 and for limited pivotal movement about one end. This allows a self-centering action of the guide members irrespective of the lateral axial position of the component lead. Although the apparatus could be de signed with fixed guide members having slots 82 positioned with respect to wheel 36 for a given axial position of the component leads, allowing pivotal movement of the guide members in the manner described will permit alignment of the slots with the axial position of the leads regardless of variations in the latter (within the limits of movement of the guide members.) The apparatus of the invention is equally useful in applications wherein two leads extend in opposite directions from the component body, as described herein, and where only one lead extends axially from one side of the component.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for straightening electrical leads extending axially from the cylindrical body portionvof an electrical component, said apparatus comprising, in combination:

a. means for rotatably supporting the component body;

b. at least one pair of spaced opposing surfaces, fixedly mounted with respect to one another and arranged for an electrical lead of the component to be disposed therebetween;

c. means for effecting relative movement of the rotatably supported component and said spaced surfaces for movement of the lead from a first to a second end of said surface;

d. the distance between said surfaces gradually diminishing from said first to said second end, the distance at said second end being equal to the sum of the lead diameter and the allowable tolerance by which the lead may vary from the straightness;

e. means for imparting rotational movement to the component, and thereby to the lead, during said relative movement of the component and spaced surfaces.

2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said means for effecting relative movement comprise means for moving said supporting means and said spaced surfaces are fixed with respect to the direction of said relative movement.

3. The invention according to claim 2 wherein said spaced surfaces are movable transversely to the axis of the component as the lead is moved therebetween to accommodate differences in the axis of the lead and the axis of the component.

4. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said means for rotatably supporting comprise a plurality of rollers having peripheries disposed for supporting the component.

5. The invention according to claim 4 wherein said means for imparting rotational movement comprise means for frictionally engaging the component body and means for relatively moving said frictional engaging means and said rollers in a direction transverse to the component axis.

6. The invention according to claim 5 wherein said rollers are mounted on a wheel of substantially larger diameter than said rollers and said means for relatively moving comprise means for rotating said wheel.

7. The invention according to claim 6 wherein said spaced surfaces comprise an arcuate track adjacent one side of said wheel for receiving between said surfaces a lead extending outwardly from the side of said wheel.

8. The invention according to claim 7 wherein a pair of said arcuate tracks are provided, one on each side of said wheel, for receiving between the respective spaced surfaces leads extending outwardly from a component on both sides of said wheel.

9. The invention according to claim 8 wherein said arcuate tracks are pivotally mounted for movement about axes parallel with the axis of rotation of said wheel.

10. The invention according to claim 1 and further including a pair of rigid members, fixed with respect to said spaced surfaces and extending between said first and second ends thereof, said members defining a gap of fixed width from end to end through which the lead extends between the component body and the space between said surfaces.

11. The invention according to claim 10 wherein the centerlines of the space between said surfaces and said gap lie in a common, arcuate plane.

12. The invention according to claim 11 wherein said rigid members are formed integrally with respective elements defining said pair of spaced surfaces. 

1. Apparatus for straightening electrical leads extending axially from the cylindrical body portion of an electrical component, said apparatus comprising, in combination: a. means for rotatably supporting the component body; b. at least one pair of spaced opposing surfaces, fixedly mounted with respect to one another and arranged for an electrical lead of the component to be disposed therebetween; c. means for effecting relative movement of the rotatably supported component and said spaced surfaces for movement of the lead from a first to a second end of said surface; d. the distance between said surfaces gradually diminishing from said first to said second end, the distance at said second end being equal to the sum of the lead diameter and the allowable tolerance by which the lead may vary from the straightness; e. means for imparting rotational movement to the component, and thereby to the lead, during said relative movement of the component and spaced surfaces.
 2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said means for effecting relative movement comprise means for moving said supporting means and said spaced surfaces are fixed with respect to the direction of said relative movement.
 3. The invention according to claim 2 wherein said spaced surfaces are movable transversely to the axis of the component as the lead is moved therebetween to accommodate differences in the axis of the lead and the axis of the component.
 4. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said means for rotatably supporting comprise a plurality of rollers having peripheries disposed for supporting the component.
 5. The invention according to claim 4 wherein said means for imparting rotational movement comprise means for frictionally engaging the component body and means for relatively moving said frictional engaging means and said rollers in a direction transverse to the component axis.
 6. The invention according to claim 5 wherein said rollers are mounted on a wheel of substantially larger diameter than said rollers and said means for relatively moving comprise means for rotating said wheel.
 7. The invention according to claim 6 wherein said Spaced surfaces comprise an arcuate track adjacent one side of said wheel for receiving between said surfaces a lead extending outwardly from the side of said wheel.
 8. The invention according to claim 7 wherein a pair of said arcuate tracks are provided, one on each side of said wheel, for receiving between the respective spaced surfaces leads extending outwardly from a component on both sides of said wheel.
 9. The invention according to claim 8 wherein said arcuate tracks are pivotally mounted for movement about axes parallel with the axis of rotation of said wheel.
 10. The invention according to claim 1 and further including a pair of rigid members, fixed with respect to said spaced surfaces and extending between said first and second ends thereof, said members defining a gap of fixed width from end to end through which the lead extends between the component body and the space between said surfaces.
 11. The invention according to claim 10 wherein the centerlines of the space between said surfaces and said gap lie in a common, arcuate plane.
 12. The invention according to claim 11 wherein said rigid members are formed integrally with respective elements defining said pair of spaced surfaces. 